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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. current — of water
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. degree — from a university
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. charge — a price
  7. degree — temperature
  8. ground — the earth
  9. charge — electricity
  10. spell — magic
  11. degree — an amount
  12. current — happening now
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. current — electric
  16. charge — in control
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stock — goods
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. spell — letters
  21. ground — crushed
  22. pitch — completely
  23. spell — a short time
  24. ground — a position

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com